Robbie Brady set for Premier League return

Leicester City are confident the lure of Champions League football will be sufficient to beat off competition from Crystal Palace for the signing of Ireland star Robbie Brady this month.

The Norwich City wideman is in demand and the Premier League champions have revived their interest in the 24-year-old, having first made an inquiry in June without pursuing a formal bid.

The Canaries were unwilling to part with the Dubliner for less than €15m then but boss Alex Neil requires the funds to bolster their strike options for the second half of the Championship campaign. They sit ninth in the table, with the play-off their only realistic chance of making an immediate Premier League return.

Claudio Ranieri, too, is enduring a tough season and has identified Brady as key to improving fortunes. In spite of their domestic struggles this term, Leicester stormed through their maiden Champions League group stage to set up a last-16 tie with Porto next month.

The Italian has already been busy in the transfer window and will offload summer arrival Bartosz Kapustka to make room for Brady. Palace boss Sam Allardyce will have to match Leicester’s bid — likely to rise to around €14m in this window — to have any chance of keeping the mix.

“Somebody like Robbie Brady, I would say yes,” commented Allardyce at the weekend. “Anybody like that, if the club says they are available.

“I am looking first and foremost for a left-back from this country with Premier League experience.”

Brady, who turns 25 next week, has just one more season to run on his contract at Norwich and Ireland manager Martin O’Neill has expressed his surprise at his versatile talisman still operating in the second tier.